He began performing with his schoolfriend Art Garfunkel in 1956; together the two came to prominence in the 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. The duo's blend of folk and rock music in hits like "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "America", and "The Boxer" served as a soundtrack to the counterculture movement. Their career together peaked with their last album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970), at one point the best-selling album of all time. Throughout his subsequent solo career, Simon has continued to explore an eclectic mixture of genres, including gospel, reggae, soul, and more. His celebrated 1970s output—comprising Paul Simon (1972), There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), and Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)—kept him in the public spotlight and saw critical and commercial acclaim, spawning the hits "Mother and Child Reunion", "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover".
Across his life, Simon has intermittently reunited with Garfunkel for several tours, including the famed Concert in Central Park. The widely lauded Graceland (1986) became Simon's biggest album of his career, melding his rock sound with worldbeat flavors; its single "You Can Call Me Al" became one of Simon's top hits. A sequel of sorts, The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), preceded his own successful Concert in the Park, attended by a half-million fans. That decade, Simon focused his energies on a Broadway musical The Capeman (1997), which was poorly received. In the first quarter of the next century, Simon continued to record and tour; his later albums, such as You're the One (2000), So Beautiful or So What (2011), and Stranger to Stranger (2016), have introduced him to new generations. He retired from touring in 2018. His most recent work, Seven Psalms, will see release in May 2023.
Simon is among the most acclaimed musicians and songwriters in popular music, and one of the world's best-selling music artists, both for his solo work and with Garfunkel. He is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has been the recipient of sixteen Grammy Awards, including three for Album of the Year. Two of his works, Sounds of Silence and Graceland, have seen induction into National Recording Registry for their cultural significance, and in 2007, the Library of Congress crowned him the inaugural winner of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He is a co-founder of the Children's Health Fund, a nonprofit that provides medical care to children.
In an in-depth interview reprinted in American Songwriter, Simon discusses the craft of songwriting with music journalist Tom Moon. In the interview, Simon explains the basic themes in his songwriting: love, family and social commentary (as well as the overarching messages of religion, spirituality and God in his lyrics). Simon explains the process of how he goes about writing songs in the interview: "The music always precedes the words. The words often come from the sound of the music and eventually evolve into coherent thoughts. Or incoherent thoughts. Rhythm plays a crucial part in the lyric-making as well. It's like a puzzle to find the right words to express what the music is saying."
That's The Way God Made The Movies
Paul Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My mother died
She said,'Bye bye, baby, bye bye
I said,'Where you goin'?
I'm just born
She said,'I'll only be gone for a while'
My mother loved to leave in style
That's why God made the movies
Well, I laid around
In my swaddling clothes
Until the doctor came and turned out the lights
Then I packed my bag
And my name tag
I stole away into the night
Hoping things would work out right
That's why God made the movies
Say you will! Say you will!
Say you'll take me to your lovin' breast
Say you'll nourish me
With your tenderness
The way the ladies sometimes do
Say you won't! Say you won't!
Say you won't leave me for no other man
Say you'll love me just the way I am
Say you will baby, now
Say you will, just say you will
When I was born
My mother died
She said,'Bye bye, baby, bye bye
And since that day
I've paid my way
The notorious boy of the wild
Adopted by the wolves
When he was a child.
That's why God
That's why God
That's why God made the movies
The song "That's Why God Made the Movies" by Paul Simon is a nostalgic and emotional reflection on the singer's life, his mother's death, and the role that movies have played in helping him deal with his past. The lyrics start with the line "When I was born, my mother died," indicating that the singer's relationship with his mother was cut off from the very beginning. Despite this loss, the singer remembers his mother's love for drama and her tendency to leave in style, stating that "my mother loved to leave in style, that's why God made the movies." This suggests that movies offer a way to escape, to live out stories and experiences that might not be available in real life.
The second verse continues with the theme of escape, as the singer describes his own departure from the hospital where he was born. He packed his bags and stole away into the night, hoping that things would work out right. Here, the reference to movies seems to be about the way that movies offer a sense of adventure and possibility, a way to believe that anything can happen if you just take the leap. The final verse brings the themes of escape and longing together, as the singer pleads with someone to "say you will" love him and offer him a place where he can feel safe and loved, like the characters in movies often do. It ends with the repetition of the line "That's why God made the movies," suggesting that movies have been a constant source of comfort and inspiration throughout the singer's life.
Overall, the song is a powerful reminder of the importance of storytelling in our lives, and the way that movies can offer a way to escape, to find hope and meaning in difficult times, and to feel connected to something larger than ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was born
From the very beginning of my life
My mother died
My mother passed away
She said,'Bye bye, baby, bye bye
My mother said goodbye to me
I said,'Where you goin'?
I questioned where she was going
I'm just born
As a newborn baby
She said,'I'll only be gone for a while'
My mother reassured me she would return soon
My mother loved to leave in style
My mother enjoyed leaving in a dramatic fashion
That's why God made the movies
Dramatic exits like my mother's are why movies were created
Well, I laid around
I stayed in one place
In my swaddling clothes
Wrapped tightly in blankets
Until the doctor came and turned out the lights
Until the doctor came and turned off the lights in my room
Then I packed my bag
I got ready to leave
And my name tag
I labeled myself for identification
I stole away into the night
I ran away in secret during the night
Hoping things would work out right
I had faith that everything would turn out well
Say you will! Say you will!
Please agree to this
Say you'll take me to your lovin' breast
Promise to love and care for me
Say you'll nourish me
Promise to provide for my needs
With your tenderness
With your gentle care
The way the ladies sometimes do
As some women are known to do
Say you won't! Say you won't!
Please don't disagree with this
Say you won't leave me for no other man
Promise not to leave me for someone else
Say you'll love me just the way I am
Promise to love and accept me as I am
Say you will baby, now
Please make this promise to me now
Say you will, just say you will
Agree to this, please
And since that day
Since my mother passed
I've paid my way
I've made my own path
The notorious boy of the wild
I earned a reputation as a wild child
Adopted by the wolves
I was taken in by a rough crowd
When he was a child.
When I was young.
That's why God
This is the reason God
That's why God
This is the reason God
That's why God made the movies
Dramatic life events are what inspired movies to be made
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL SIMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind